Benefits of Field-Grown Plants in Landscaping Projects

Field grown plants like the ones we sell have many benefits that container grown plants just don't offer. When you spend money on plants for your landscape, you want them to be a good investment. I think you will agree that our field grown, bare root plants are the best investment after reading this article.

Better Start in Life

Field grown plants get a better start in life, especially our field grown plants.

Environmental Buffering

Because field grown plants start out growing in soil, the effect of cold or hot air temperatures is less than for a container grown plant. The volume of soil in a container is not enough to protect the roots from extreme heat or cold. In addition, container grown plants are very sensitive to poor irrigation. Field grown plants have a much larger area to draw moisture from even when irrigation is uneven. Of course, we irrigate our field grown plants, so they are not stunted by poor water availability or hostile temperatures.

Since most container grown plants are grown in greenhouses, you may think temperature extremes are not a problem. However, container grown plants often sit outside at a nursery or gardening store while they wait to be bought. The roots can be damaged by heat and cold as well as poor irrigation.

In contrast, our field grown plants are dug, cleaned, and shipped within a few days. They are packed in a moist medium and are handled carefully. We ship dormant plants, which are better able to handle the shipping than plants that are actively growing.

Planting a bare root plant in the fall gives the roots all winter to develop before they must support foliage. A container plant has to support foliage from the day it is transplanted.

Better Soil Nutrient Availability

Field grown plants have a larger amount of nutrients to draw from than container grown plants. A container grown plant is solely dependant on fertilizer in the container for nutrients. While field grown plants are fertilized too, they can also draw nutrients from a larger area with their roots than container grown plants can.

Native Soil Microbes

Soil has microorganisms and small creatures such as worms in it that add to field grown plant's root health. Scientists are still researching exactly how these benefit plants, but they do know these components of soil are important. Container grown plants are usually potted in a sterile potting mix and miss out on these organisms until they are planted.

Adaption and Establishment

When you plant a new tree, shrub, or perennial, you want it to get established and grow quickly. While it takes trees and shrubs about 3 years to become really established, and perennials about a year, field grown plants take off more quickly than container grown plants.

Faster Adaptation

Because plants are grown in soil similar to what you have, as opposed to potting mix in containers, they face less transplant shock. Container plants take longer to adapt to the cold, cruel world because they were used to amended soil in their container, which is typically richer than the soil in your landscape.

Larger Root Systems

Field grown plants produce larger root systems more quickly than container grown plants. When plants are dug from the ground in the nursery, the roots are cut by the digger. This stimulates the roots to grow to replace the cutoff root volume.

Container plants, by contrast, do not have their roots cut and can be slow to begin growing into the soil outside the initial root ball. In addition, container grown plants are often root bound with roots growing in a circular pattern around the trunk. Unless such roots are cut to stop the circular growth, they will eventually girdle the plant and kill it.

Greater Resilience

Field grown plants have already had to learn to tolerate wind, heat and cold, pests, and other things in a natural environment. Container grown plants are often grown in a greenhouse. They are sheltered and are not used to the forces they encounter when you plant them. Even though container plants are hardened off before being sold, they don't grow up with the same crucible of forces field grown plants must adapt to. This means container grown plants are more likely to fail to adapt to the negatives in any environment.

Maintenance and Sustainability

Commercial landscapes that require a lot of maintenance cost more than ones that do not. While many homeowners enjoy work in the garden, high maintenance plants can be difficult.

Reduced Maintenance

Because the roots of field grown plants grow into the surrounding soil faster, they become established faster. The amount of maintenance an established plant requires is much less than the amount of maintenance a plant needs before it is established. Things like frequent watering, staking, wrapping trunks in the winter, and careful pruning take a lot of time and effort. The sooner these things are no longer needed, the better. Native field grown plants need less maintenance over their life than non-native plants.

Water Conservation

When first planted, container grown plants only draw water from the potting mix in the root ball. Until the roots grow out into the surrounding soil, the root ball has to be kept moist. As the roots spread out and grow into the surrounding soil, they become able to get most of their water from the soil. They don't need to be watered as often. Field grown plants, as mentioned above, grow into the surrounding soil faster, so require less water. In addition, if the plants are native to your area, they will not require watering after they are established unless there is a drought.

More Natural Appearance

Container grown plants may appear stunted and unnatural in the landscape. This is a result of poor root growth during the time right after being planted. Field grown plants will look more natural because they do not have this problem.

Other Things to Consider

You may be worried about the cost and availability of the plants you want for your landscape. Let us reassure you. Bare root plants are the most economical way to buy plants for your landscape. The price difference for bare root plants is even greater if you are planting a large landscape and need a variety of plants. For example, cardinal flower plants we sell as bare roots can be a third of cardinal flower plants in containers. The difference in price is even more dramatic if you are buying large numbers of plants. Trees like a white oak or sugar maple are also dramatically less expensive as bare root trees over container grown trees.

At TN Nursery, we have grown a variety of plants that will fit in almost any landscape you design. We have plants native to most areas of North America just waiting for you to order them. Give us a call at 931.692.4252 so we can answer your questions and take your order.